GDO to Bozeman

I went with a few of my girlfriends on a road trip to Bozeman today. We just headed out on the road to get away from Helena for the day. We drove, ate, visited, laughed, shopped, ate some more, shopped the boutiques, tried on fur coats and shopped some killer GAP sales repeatedly! LOL Then we headed back. What a good break! And what fun, beautiful friends to be with! Love you ladies!

Elk Hunting with Bishop Staley

They didn't get one this year but Bishop Staley was super awesome & took Justice & Brett out Elk Hunting a couple of times. They hiked all over in the snow!

Balloon Volleyball

When I came home from a Primary meeting this evening- my family had done a little re-arranging to the front room furniture. There was a mean game of Balloon Volleyball going on! Fun times!
I got in on a little action as well!

Let it Snow

Our family had a little wager going about when the 1st snow would come to Helena.

Liberty won!!!!

Is that yeah????

(I'm not ready for the snow but everyone else in my family is!! LOL)

Sanders Visit

We had these awesome friends back in Fargo. They moved away a couple years before us. Sometimes we cross paths on a blog or a text or a Christmas card. But tonight was our lucky night! Chris happened to be passing through Helena for work. We had him over for dinner! It was like we'd never been apart (seriously he doesn't look a day older)- beside the fact that Glory was barely bore when they moved away! LOL We had a great visit! Hopefully their family can make a stop through town next year!  It'd be awesome to see them all! Thanks Chris for stopping by! Loved having you!

Victoria even gave him some Violin lessons:

Richard Garlinghouse Obituary

Last August, I had the opportunity to make a little extra money by unpacking the home of this man that my realtor friend had sold a home to. He was old and rough and full of spunk. For some reason after 4 days of unpacking, my heart was somewhat tied to him. He had fought cancer over the last couple of years. He lost his wife last May. He was a go-getter and knows what he wants. He is an organized freak! It's like we're 2 peas in a pod! ;) When he mentioned that he used to pay someone every week to come in and clean his house- and asked if I knew anyone- I hesitated. I wasn't really interested in cleaning someone else's home. (I can barely keep my own clean. LOL) But I felt strongly that somehow he needed me. 

So every Thursday, I would go to Richard's home and clean his little place. Or pretend to, at least. He was so tidy and had everything in perfect order. He left little folded up paper towels on almost every surface so he could wipe up anything he spilled. He had the same routine every time I went. The front door was open in anticipation of me coming. He always turned his bedspread and sheets down for me to change them. He was watching the Weather Channel or The Prize is Right. He played his handheld video games at the kitchen table while I cleaned. He would move to the back room when I had finished everywhere else. He always had my check written and waiting for me on the table when I left. He was a creature of habit, for sure!
He was also always doing some kind of remolding. He was fixing up that house so he could have it exactly like he wanted it. He would make me laugh because he'd say, "Who doesn't have storage in their bathrooms?" Then he'd put in huge mirrored Storage Vanities and shelves over the toilets and remodel parts to add more storage- then most of those cupboards would be empty anyways! LOL Silly guy! He had draperies made for all the windows. He carpeted most of the house. He ripped out his deck, added a sprinkling system, and redid the sidewalk to the garage. He put up some slats around his front porch and had them painted to break that area from the wind. He had the wiring tidy-ed up and heaters installed into both bathrooms so he wouldn't be cold. I always prepared myself to notice and praise him for what he accomplished that week. He was amazing! 

About a month ago, I showed up to clean and the door was locked. That was NOT like Richard so I knocked a few times. I thought I could faintly hear him yelling at me. I was a little panicked. Brett reminded me that I had a strong feeling that one day he would need me. Maybe this was the day! I made several phone calls until I got a hold of his daughter. She said that he had been in the ER 2 nights before because he had fallen. She didn't want me to call 911 because she didn't want them to knock down the door. She said she'd come right over. After what seemed FOREVER, she showed up with a key. We found him flat on his back on the floor of his office. Sometime during the night, he had fallen out of his chair. It took us a long time to drag him to the wall so he could sit up. After a little rest, we then yanked him over to his desk so he could pull himself up while we pushed him from behind. (He's not a little man!) He had a couple scabs on his head from his last fall and he looked really swollen. He looked about 10 years older than he did the week before. It was super sad! He was really disoriented. He couldn't even walk without a walker. It was crazy how fragile he looked. When we finally got him situated, he turned to me and said- "Guess it's time for you to go now, huh?" I had been there my whole usual time. We had a good chuckle and I told him I'd see him next week. But- that was the last time I ever saw him. The following week- his daughter put him in a Nursing home and then 2 weeks later- he passed away. 

It's strange because he is the 1st person that I've had die in my life that has affected my daily life. I've lost Grandpas and a Grandma- but it was when I wasn't born or married and moved away. I miss them but I only saw them on Holidays so it didn't really change the way I go about things. Does that make any sense? Richard was apart of my weekly routine for over a year. And now he's not. I'm not really devastated because he was sooo ready to not be alone anymore. In that way- I'm happy for him. But I do feel his absence. Life goes on- but it will now go on a little different. I find him in my thoughts often lately so thought I'd pay him a little tribute for being a part of my life.

In memory of

Richard B. Garlinghouse 

age 79 of Helena

February 1, 1936 – November 2, 2015

Richard B. Garlinghouse passed away peacefully early Monday morning at Rocky Mountain Care Center’s Rehab unit following a brief illness. He was born on February 1, 1936 to Bruce Garlinghouse and Ruth (Grush) Garlinghouse in Great Falls, Montana.  He attended schools in Fairfield, Montana and Malta, Montana.  He graduated from Malta High School in 1954 and began his career with Beueau of Reclamation in Glacier National Park.  He married his high school sweetheart, Eleanor Green, on August 4, 1956 and to this union were born four children;  Daryl June, Tammy Ruth, Bruce Robert and Janet Rose.  After several years with the Bureau of Reclamation, he left to start working with the Federal Aviation Administration and retired after 38 years in 2006.  Dad and Mom loved to travel and visit their children and grandchildren as often as they could.   
He is preceded in death by his parents; his son, Bruce; his sister, Jane and his loving wife, Eleanor. He is survived by his daughters, Daryl June (Duke) Carrier of Helena and their two children, Katherine (Charles) Fairbairn and baby, Emma of West Yellowstone, Montana and Adam Carrier and son, Kayden of Missoula, Montana; Tammy (Ray) Weart of Des Plaines, Illinois and her two sons, Ryan and Matthew of Wisconsin and Janet (John) Bacon of Kalispell and their son Robert (Tina) Bacon of Colombia Falls, Montana and their children Shyla, Braydon, Kailin and Alorha.  He is also survived by his brother, Kent Garlinghouse and his wife, Donna of Alexandria, Minnesota.   
Cremation has taken place and a private family memorial service will take place in the summer at Hungry Horse. Please visit www.aswfuneralhome.com to offer a condolence to the family or to share a memory of Richard.

A few of my favorite things about being in Richard's home (besides him) were:
This Eagle Stitchery he had hanging over his bed:

This Bank he made his wife out of an old mail door:

And the notes he would write sometimes to or about his wife. Man! He loved her!!! So glad they are back together!

I'll miss you Richard!!

Off on Halloween Night

Victoria was invited to a Halloween Party so I ran her over there after she ate some chili. She was brave and had a great time!

And it turns out that Justice & Glory were invited to go Trick-or-Treating with the Fifes. So Brett and I were kid-less on Halloween night. Weird!!! With only 5 houses on our street we don't get many trick-or-treaters. Man! We have a lot of candy to consume now! LOL
I did take this picture of the kids before school on Friday! So... here's our Halloween documentation! ;)

A Snickers Bar- perfect for the Chocolate lover

Arrrrg! It's Glor--Y the Pirate! "Gimme ye Bootie!"

El Guapo- Conquistador

Trunk-or-Treat & Chili Cookoff

This year our Ward joined the 1st Ward for their Trunk-or-Treat and Chili Cookoff. It's fun to see everyone in one place and get candy while you're at it!

Dinner was good! Brett got a prize for his Chili. Way to go, Capt!

A Fairytale Halloween

Liberty and her friends are obsessed lately with this show called Fairytail Anime Show. That's all they Instagram about! Literally. Everything is about that! {Teenagers!!! } So naturally that's what she wanted to be for Halloween. A Fairytail Character. She even timed her haircut perfectly to fit with her costume. It turned out pretty cool! She was so happy!



Liberty all dressed up or its it Natsu??? Which one is which? LOL

A bunch of her friends came over early on Halloween day to eat, visit watch scary movies and throw flour at each other. Yes! You read that right!!!! Throw flour at each other! Silly girls!

They got all dressed up and we took them to the Trunk-or-Treat & Chili Cook off at the Church. Then they headed out on their own for some Trick-or-Treating through a couple neighborhoods. Crazy that they are old enough to just go out on their own!
Here they are as:
Liberty was Natsu Dragneel
Shannon was Lucy Heartfilia
Jada was Gray Fullbuster
Marz was Sam Winchester from Supernatural
Katelynn was an Ninja Assassin

 Happy Halloween to our Fairytail Friends!

Ewok Sampson's Halloween Party

Our friends, the Seedalls threw an amazing Halloween Party tonight. It was amazing and there were tons of people!!! She fed us all! She knows how to make everything look like Martha Stewart. She's the bomb!

All the kids got to decorate a bag and then the whole basement was setup with Carnival Games. They broke into teams and went to 4 different stations. They popped a Pumpkin balloon with darts for prizes. They spun a wheel and did funny, spooky tricks. They did a Pumpkin Toss. And got their picture taken at the Spider Photo Booth. Hailey went all out! It was a amazing! They even did a Pinata at the end of the night!

Some more Spider Photo Booth pictures:

In one room, Hailey had set up a "Dead Man Walking" Game. It was hilarious! This is Brian Payne participating. Well... at least what is left of him. LOL

Here's some the Guests. What a fun night! Thanks Princess Leia for a fabulous night!

Carving Pumpkins

We carved our pumpkins that we got from the Farmer in the Dell. One rotted and we used one for our cute stick-in witch so Liberty & I opted to let the others carve away. Great job everyone! 

Liberty chose to paint her nails so they'd look awesome for her costume on Saturday.

Teenage Layers

Liberty got her hair cut and she is soooo happy! Everyone says she looks way older. It's not helpful that she is also now taller than me. What is happening around here? How are my children growing so fast?

Justice's Ropes Course

For School, Justice got to spend the day in Missoula doing a Ropes Course. He is actually pretty scared of heights so I was super surprised when he came home with a whole slew of pictures of him high in the air! 1st- Heights freak him out! 2nd- He came home with pictures!!! I'm so proud of him! (For both)
Climbing Wall

The Rings

The Bridge

Way to overcome your fears, kiddo! 

Proud of you!

Monster Mash 2015

Brett & Justice went out Elk Hunting today and didn't make it back in time. And Liberty did some babysitting so I took Victoria & Glory to the school for the annual Monster Mash. It was crazy and fun as usual!

We got there in time for the Trick-or-Treat Alley:

They found friends and did games for prizes. And they went through the Haunted Obstacle Course:

They even got Cotton Candy before we went home:

Happy Monster Mash!!

Food Storage Room

When we moved into our new home, we made a decision that we didn't want the basement to be unfinished for years. So, we recently bought a few supplies to be able to work on it this Winter. We started with our Food Storage room. Can I say.... I'm sooooooo excited!!!?
Our Church has always encouraged us to be self-reliant.
"We encourage members worldwide to prepare for adversity in life by having a basic supply of food and water and some money in savings. We ask that you be wise, and do not go to extremes. With careful planning, you can, over time, establish a home storage supply and a financial reserve."

So...since before Y2K, our family has tried hard to have some kind of food & water supply. We have gone from a zillion #10 cans & big water barrels to rolling shelves and pop bottles full of a 2 week water supply for each family member. We have learned a lot of what we really use and what would be good just for emergencies. We have learned what we like and what we don't!!! ;) And most relevant to this post is that as we built this home- we planned a place to store it all.
The last week or so, our family dragged everything out of the little room, finished it up with flooring and drywall and then put everything back. It looks amazing!!
I realize that I didn't take a picture of what it looked like with everything in it before. Lame!!! But...
We went from this to this...

And this to this....

And after putting together my new AWESOME shelf (all by myself btw), we look like we are open for business! I have a few more things to get and a lot more stocking up to do BUT I Love it! It makes me so happy!

Senior Scones

Brett is teaching the Senior class this year in Seminary. We had them over tonight for Scones. They are a pretty awesome group of kids. They cracked me up with slow-mo selfies pictures and their group basketball game in the dark. Funny kids!